Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will meet today to discuss the tussle for the National Assembly leadership.
Leadership reported that the meeting comes against the backdrop of the heightened lobby of some governors to insist on the retention of the zoning arrangement earlier made by the party.
A source who was quoted on the development said the meeting would offer proper solutions to the lingering crisis
The source said, “We are very confident that when the APC governors meet tomorrow (today), they will offer quality advice and proper solutions to the lingering crisis.
“The party appears to have forgotten that at no time had any system at the level of the President of ruling party leadership endorsed a particular speakership candidate successfully. Any steps toward that had always failed and this won’t be different.
“Quite honestly, more than 80 percent of the governors feel the zoning was wrongly done without proper understanding and consultation as the national chairman admitted.
“But the issue is that some of them are too scared to talk, especially when they hear Gbajabiamila will be chief of staff. Only the Ondo State governor has spoken and we commend him for what he did. He has really nailed it on the head.
“So, as we wait patiently, we are not losing our guards because these people are desperate to break our ranks. Several attempts have been made to intimidate us but they always failed.”
APC, through its of APC National Working Committee, had zoned the Senate President position (South South, Godswill Akpabio), Deputy Senate President (North West, Senator Jibrin Barau); Speaker (North West, Hon Tajudeen Abbas); Deputy Speaker (South East, Benjamin Kalu).
The Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who also chairs the Southern Governors Forum had expressed reservation for the zoning arrangement, adding that the decision was unworkable, skewed and reinforcing injustice and enhancing inequity.
The arrangement had since caused a strain in the party as aggrieved aspirants protested the decision, just as some party stakeholders insisted on retention of the zoning arrangement.
The national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, however hinted last week that the zoning arrangement would be revisited.
